We'll Make It Anywhere
by myeveryday
Summary: In fact, it was a picture of her at the supermarket yesterday. She was standing with the man who had gotten the chocolate chips, and the headline read, "Broadway's Sweetheart Dating Football's Most Eligible Bachelor?" AU, Finchel-Prompt


**Author's Note: I just can't stop writing these Finchel-prompts! This is the "Happy Accidents" one, which I'm pretty excited about. I changed the prompt a little bit. I've had Finn and Rachel meet in a coffee shop in both of my prompts already, so I thought I'd switch it up. Like all of the other ones, this story is M-rated. The title comes from "Run" by Snow Patrol.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

* * *

**i.**

Rachel Berry checked her shopping cart before she turned back to the shelves in front of her. She scanned them once again and sighed when she realized that the item she wanted was on the very top shelf. There was no way that she would be able to reach that.

She stretched up on her tiptoes and was silently grateful that there were no photographers around. The last thing she needed was some magazine making jokes about how short she was. She made a swipe for the vegan chocolate chips and let out a groan when she completely missed them. Who the hell put the chocolate on the top shelf, anyway?

Rachel felt someone come up behind her, and then she saw a large hand take the bag of vegan chocolate chips off the top shelf. She whipped around, about to give that person a piece of her mind, when she found herself staring into a beautiful pair of amber eyes.

"I…" Rachel opened her mouth, but no words really came out. It wasn't very often that she was struck speechless.

The man gave her an adorable half smile, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. He held out the bag. "It looked like you were having some trouble reaching the bag, so…"

Rachel's face relaxed into a smile. "Oh. Well, thank you very much. That's very chivalrous of you."

His half smile spread into a full one. Rachel noticed the sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of his nose, and his thick, messy brown hair. He was so tall, too. Rachel barely came up to his shoulder. He rubbed the back of his neck as he tucked a hand into his pocket. "I have to do stuff like this for my mom all of the time."

It was so sweet that he would bring up his mother like that. It was obvious that he cared about her. Rachel nodded her head and dropped the bag into her shopping cart. She put her hand on his arm and gave him another smile. He really was very handsome.

"Thank you again," she said.

There were those dimples again. "No problem."

* * *

**ii.**

"Rachel Barbra Berry! Would you care to explain to me what the hell this is?"

Rachel groaned and buried her face in her pillow. This had to be a dream. There was no way that her best friend—who also happened to be her manager—was standing next to her bed screaming at her. This had to be some type of dream.

"Berry, you better get your ass up and explain to me what this is." Santana Lopez prodded at Rachel's shoulder repeatedly. "I'm serious. If you don't get up, I'll jump on you. And you know I will. Don't test me."

Rachel rolled over and lifted the pillow from her face. Before she could open her mouth, Santana shoved a magazine cover in her face. Sitting up, Rachel took the magazine and was surprised to find a picture of herself on the front. In fact, it was a picture of her at the supermarket yesterday. She was standing with the man who had gotten the chocolate chips, and the headline read, "_Broadway's Sweetheart Dating Football's Most Eligible Bachelors?_"

Rachel's brow furrowed. "What?"

Santana jabbed a finger at the front cover. "You didn't tell me that you're dating anyone! How am I supposed to work with this, Berry? I've been getting non-stop calls from the press since this magazine first came out."

"But I'm not dating anyone."

"That picture says otherwise."

The picture really did make it seem like they were a couple. Rachel had her hand on his arm, and they were standing much closer than two strangers should. Rachel hadn't even realized it had happened. She had just been really drawn to him. They were both smiling at each other, they're eyes trained on one another's. Flipping through the magazine to the article, Rachel saw there was another picture of when he had gotten the chocolate chips off the top shelf for her. It definitely gave off the appearance that they were food shopping together.

"Really, Santana," Rachel said. "I'm not." But her eyes remained on the picture of the handsome man she was with. "I don't even know who that is."

Santana rolled her eyes. "You really are oblivious, aren't you, Berry?" At Rachel's confused look, Santana sighed and tapped the picture. "That's Finn Hudson. He's the quarterback for the New York Jets?" Rachel still didn't say anything. "That's Kurt Hummel's step brother."

"Oh!" Rachel vaguely remembered her stylist talking about his step brother, but she had never seen a picture of him.

Santana sighed. "Oh no."

"What?"

"You like him, don't you?"

Rachel's cheeks flushed. "N-no! Of course not!"

"I don't believe you."

* * *

**iii.**

Finn Hudson was yanked out of his peaceful slumber when someone ripped his pillow out from under him and hit him over the head with it.

"Ow!" Finn exclaimed. He looked up to find his brother standing over his bed. Even though it was only seven o'clock in the morning, Kurt Hummel was fashionably and impeccably dressed. "Kurt! What the hell is your problem?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you were dating one of my closest friends?"

Finn's brow furrowed. "Huh?"

"This!" Kurt threw a magazine down on Finn's lap. He picked it up and looked down at the picture and the headline. He smiled as his eyes fell on the beautiful brunette he had met the day before, but he was still very aware of the way that his brother was still glaring at him.

"I'm not dating anyone," Finn finally said. Seeing Kurt's skeptical look, he held his hands up. "I'm not! I don't even know who she is!"

"That is Rachel Berry," Kurt said as he jabbed a finger at her picture. "She is currently playing Maria on Broadway's revival of _West Side Story_. She is also currently nominated for a Tony. Rachel happens to be the rising star of Broadway, and you somehow managed to start a rumor that the two of you are dating!"

Finn rolled his eyes at his brother's dramatics. "Like I planned for this to happen. How was I supposed to know that she was Rachel Berry?"

"Will has been calling. He's going to want to do some damage control," Kurt said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What damage control?" It was way too early in the morning for Finn to wrap his mind around the situation. He knew two things: he was really tired, and Rachel Berry was beautiful. "I'm not even dating anyone!"

* * *

**iv.**

"I guess we're just going to let this die out," Santana finally decided. "It's not like you'll ever see him again." When she saw the look on Rachel's face, she sighed. "Please don't give me the puppy dog look, Berry. You don't even know the guy."

"I know," Rachel said. "But…"

Blaine Anderson chuckled. "It sounds to me like you might actually like the guy."

Santana glared at the shorter man. "Hobbit, do not encourage her!"

"I'm not encouraging her," Blaine said with a smirk. "I'm simply stating a fact."

"What kind of Tony are you?" Santana demanded. "You're supposed to stop your Maria from going out with other guys."

"Well it's a shame my Tony has a crush on Kurt Hummel, then," Rachel teased. Blaine's cheeks flushed, but he didn't say anything to deny it.

"Whatever. The hobbit has a crush on Lady Hummel. Look, here's the plan." Santana pointed the magazine. "They're going to ask questions. We're not going to say anything. If we deny, they'll just think we're lying. So don't say anything. You probably won't see him again, so this will just die off."

"I guess," Rachel said with a small sigh.

Santana pointed a threatening finger at her. "Don't you dare try and find him, Rachel Berry. I see the look on your face. I know that look."

"I wasn't going to," Rachel grumbled.

"Yeah right," Blaine said with a snigger. Rachel glared at her friend, but he just continued to laugh.

Rachel's phone buzzed, and she pulled it out to see that her friend and other co-star Tina Chang left her a text message. She laughed when she saw that Tina was demanding to know about her supposed relationship with Finn Hudson.

"Tina wants to know if I'm actually dating Finn. Apparently, Mike is a big fan."

Santana made a grab for the phone. "Don't tell her anything! The less people that know about this, the better."

* * *

**v.**

Everyone was staring at Finn when he walked into the locker room.

He quickly got changed into his practice clothes, but everyone was still staring at him. He finally sighed and turned to face his teammates. "What?"

Noah Puckerman stepped forward. "Dude. You didn't tell us that you were dating someone."

Finn sighed. He should have known that this was going to happen. "I'm not dating anyone."

Sam Evans waved a magazine around. "That's not what these pictures say! And you know that a picture says a thousand words."

"I swear that I'm not dating Rachel Berry. That's just a picture."

"You can deny all you want, man," Puck said. "Quinn has seen that girl's show twice and she won't stop gushing about it. She's even got Beth singing songs from the show, and she's only two years old. I have to get her to start singing some classic rock again."

"Mercedes has met her before because Kurt Hummel has styled for her before," Sam said. "She says that she's a bit of a diva, but then you know how Mercedes is." He chuckled before he added, "She also said that she was a nice girl. So you've already got Mercedes's approval."

"Well damn. If Aretha likes her, than I guess she must be good. Still, Quinn and I want to meet her. We have to give her the seal of approval, you know."

Finn let out a sound of annoyance and threw his hands up into the air. "I'm not dating her!"

* * *

**vi.**

Rachel blew on her tea as she lifted it from the counter. It had been three weeks since the magazine came out, and speculation about her relationship with Finn Hudson had finally died down. The tabloids were finally leaving her alone, and her cast mates had stopped asking questions about a week ago.

She knocked elbows with someone as she walked to the table she was sharing with Blaine. She stopped to apologize, but then she found herself looking into the amber eyes of Finn Hudson. She smiled, despite the warnings Santana had given her.

That adorable half smile appeared on his face. "Rachel Berry."

"Finn Hudson," Rachel said in return.

"So you know my name."

"And it appears that you know mine."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck. "I kind of feel like an idiot for not realizing who you are. Kurt has talked about you before."

Rachel put her hand on Finn's arm again and smiled at him. "Don't worry about it. Kurt tells me all sorts of stories about you. I feel bad for not connecting the dots. How are you?"

"I'm good. And you?"

"I've been doing well." Neither of them tried to talk about the article printed about them. They both figured that they were safe, given that they were in a crowded coffee shop.

"Are you… are you busy right now?" Finn asked.

"I'm actually here with my co-star right now." Rachel turned to point at Blaine, who was watching them from his table. She could see him frantically tapping on his phone and looking up at them. Right on cue, Rachel's phone buzzed in her pocket. She ignored it.

"That's nice," Finn said. He didn't know what he was doing. He was seriously about to ask her to sit down with him. The rumors about the two of them had just died down. Why would he want to start them again? A thought ran through his mind: what if they weren't just rumors? But he quickly pushed it away. "I guess… maybe I'll see you around?"

Rachel smiled at him and found herself wishing that she _would_ see him around. "Maybe."

Finn left the coffee shop, and Rachel went back to her table. Blaine smirked at her and started laughing as soon as she sat down. Rachel glared at her friend and tried to ignore him, but he wouldn't stop.

"Oh, you are going to be in so much trouble!"

* * *

**vii.**

"Finn, I want you to be honest with me. Are you dating Rachel Berry?"

Finn shook his head as his agent pushed another magazine towards him. This one displayed a picture of Finn and Rachel in the coffee shop. They could clearly see how close the two of them were standing together, and they were both wearing those smiles again.

"I'm not dating Rachel," Finn said firmly. No matter how many times he had thought about it… he pushed that thought away.

"I'm not saying it would be bad if you did," Will Schuester said. "Please, don't misunderstand me. I just want to know if you plan on dating someone so we can plan accordingly."

Finn's brow furrowed. "Plan accordingly?" he repeated.

"I know that this is hard for you to get used to, Finn. But you're the quarterback of the New York Jets. You're bringing that team back, and you're probably going to lead them to this year's Super Bowl. You've been the center of attention for a while now. People are going to have their eyes on you."

"Will, if you're about to tell me that I can't date who I want to date…"

Will held his hands up. "I'm not. I'm just saying that we need to be careful of the speculation. You can't keep things a secret in this world, Finn."

Finn sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was beginning to see that.

* * *

**viii.**

Rachel paused in the making of her stir fry to answer her ringing phone. She didn't look at the screen as she answered. She pretty much assumed that it was either Santana or Tina, calling to talk more about the newest picture of her and Finn. The rumors were pretty rampant right now, but neither Finn nor Rachel were saying anything.

"Hello?" Rachel said cheerfully.

"Hello, my little songbird."

Rachel froze. "Jesse."

"How are you doing today, my dear?"

"What do you want?" Rachel snapped.

"Oh, nothing, really." Rachel certainly hadn't missed that smug voice. "I just wanted to see what you were up to, how you were doing… who you were dating."

Rachel's fingers clenched on her kitchen counter. "I don't think that that is any of your business, Jesse."

Jesse ignored Rachel's statement. "I've seen the articles," he said. "And the pictures. You're looking awfully cozy with that big oaf."

Rachel didn't know where this was coming from. "You don't get a say in who I get to date. You lost that privilege a long time ago."

"I'm just looking out for you, my little songbird—"

The great thing about cellphones was that you could hang up.

* * *

**ix.**

"What do you mean, St. Douchebag called you?"

Rachel cracked a smile at one of Santana's many nicknames for her ex-boyfriend. "I meant exactly what I said. Jesse called me last night."

Santana started cursing in Spanish, and Tina shook her head. "I can't believe that he had the nerve to call you and ask about Finn."

Rachel nodded her head. She was still completely thrown by the call from Jesse. "I know, I—"

But Tina wasn't done ranting. "He has no business asking about your new boyfriends!"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Tina, how many times do I have to tell you that Finn Hudson and I aren't dating? We just keep running into each other."

"Yeah, whatever." Santana waved her hand dismissively. "That problem isn't even on my radar right now. I'm more focused on the fact that Jesse St. Jackass decided to call you. I thought we agreed that you were never going to talk to him again."

"It's not like I did it on purpose, Santana! I just answered the phone and he happened to be on the other end of the line!"

"We need to solve this problem, and we need to solve it fast. I'm going to go all Lima Heights on his ass—"

Tina started laughing, and Rachel simply shook her head. There were times when she wondered why she told these two everything.

* * *

**x.**

"Can you tell me more about Rachel?"

Kurt looked up over the edge of his book with a raised eyebrow at his brother. "Why do you want to know?"

Finn picked up a magazine baring a picture of him and Rachel at the coffee shop. "You know, since I'm supposedly dating her… I just thought I should know a little bit more about her."

"Finn." Kurt shut his book and put it on the table in front of him. "Are you thinking about asking Rachel out?"

"What? No. No, absolutely not." Finn shook his head. He really hoped that his cheeks weren't getting red. "You're just really good friends with her. I figured I might see her around some more since we know each other now, and everything…"

Kurt gave Finn a skeptical look. After a moment, however, he started talking. "She's kind of intense, but I love her. She has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard, and she has the biggest heart, too." He shook his head sadly. "It's a shame, because she just got out of a really bad relationship."

Finn's stomach dropped at the thought of Rachel being upset. He didn't want to imagine Rachel's big, brown eyes filled with tears because some asshole broke her heart. She just seemed so nice and sweet.

"Who?" he asked quietly.

Kurt's eyes narrowed into a scowl. "Jesse St. James," he said darkly.

Finn's jaw dropped. "_That_ douchebag?" Jesse St. James had started out on Broadway and then transitioned to a main roll on a soap opera. His show had won a few daytime Emmys, and it made St. James act real stuck up. Finn had only met him once at a benefit that Will had made him go to. Needless to say, Finn was not a fan of Jesse.

"Unfortunately, yes." Kurt shook his head. "It ended… badly." He sighed. "Finn, I can tell that you like her. Just… be careful. She's fragile."

* * *

**xi.**

Rachel smoothed out the front of her dress. She turned from left to right, admiring her reflection in the mirror. Kurt had made a beautiful, purple, strapless dress for her for the Tony's, and this was her final fitting. Kurt was working with another consultant at the moment, so she was by herself in the middle of the showroom.

"Wow."

Rachel looked over her shoulder to find Finn standing behind her. His eyes were wide as he took in her appearance. Rachel's cheeks flushed and she turned to face him fully. She twirled a piece of her loose hair as she watched him.

"You… you look great," Finn finally said. "Really great."

"Thanks. Your brother designed this dress for me," Rachel explained.

There was that adorable half smile she was hoping for. "He really outdid himself. But I have to say, you really make that dress shine, Rach." The nickname slipped easily from his lips as he stepped closer to her.

"Chivalrous and charming." Rachel giggled. "You really know how to compliment a girl."

Finn snorted. "Trust me, I really don't." Normally, he was very tongue-tied around women. But with Rachel, it was just so easy to talk to her. He still felt like he could say the wrong thing at any second, but she made it seem like she wouldn't mind. He really liked that.

Rachel bit her lip before she said, "The only thing is, this dress is kind of tight. I'm not really sure if I'll be able to dance in it."

Finn found himself scanning his eyes down her body. The dress was a little tight, hugging all of her curves the right way and tapering down to right above her knees. His eyes lingered on the curve of her behind and the way her dress covered it. Realizing what he was doing, he cleared his throat and looked back up at Rachel's face. His cheeks pinked, and he really hoped that she couldn't tell that he was blushing.

Rachel stepped off of the little podium in front of the mirror and held her hand out. "Well, there's only one way to find out. Help me see if I can dance."

Finn blinked at her. "What?"

"You're a football player. You must be light on your feet. Dance with me."

Finn held his hands up and took a step back. "I don't dance."

"Finn…"

"I mean it. I'm really bad at it. I broke a girl's nose in high school when I tried to dance."

Rachel stifled a laugh, but it didn't deter her. She stepped closer to him, her hand still outstretched. "I trust you, Finn. Come on. Dance with me."

She was looking up at him with her big, brown eyes, a soft smile playing on her lips. He just couldn't say no. Finn finally placed his hand in hers and twirled her around. She almost fell over, but Finn caught her against him.

"See, I told you," Finn said with a little pout.

Rachel laughed and patted her cheek. "All you need is a little practice. Here." She put one of his hands on her hips and took his other one. "This is just a simple two-step."

They spent a few minutes attempting to dance together. Every time Finn messed a step up, they would both dissolve into laughter. And each time they would start again, and Finn would hold her just a little bit tighter and Rachel would press herself just a little bit closer.

Just then, Finn's phone rang. Rachel and Finn looked at each other before they let go of one another. Finn dug in his pocket for his phone and looked down at it.

"It's Puck," he explained. "Quinn wanted him to get a new suit, so Kurt is measuring him for one. Kurt wanted me to tag along so I could measured, too. Apparently, I don't know how to dress myself."

Rachel laughed. That definitely sounded like something Kurt would say. "Don't worry. He says the same thing about me."

Finn's phone blared again. "I guess I better go save Puck from Kurt. I'll see you later, Rachel."

Rachel gave him one of her beaming smiles. "Bye, Finn."

He squeezed her hand and gave her that wonderful half smile before he left.

* * *

**xii.**

"How do you keep getting yourself in these messes?"

Rachel sighed. "Santana—"

"You know, Berry, it's simple. You're either dating the guy, or you're not." Santana put her hands on her hips and glared at her friend. "Are you?"

"No." Rachel sighed before she finally admitted something she had been thinking ever since her second meeting with Finn. "But I really want to."

"Well, just make up your mind, then!" Santana sat down on the couch next to Rachel. "You deserve to be happy, Rachel. Especially after what St. Douchebag did to you."

"Can we not talk about that?"

"Fine. I'm just saying… It seems like Finn makes you happy, Rachel. Suck it up and ask the guy out, or something. Even if he does look like the Jolly Green Giant."

"Be nice, Santana. I happen to think that Finn is very attractive." Rachel turned the magazine towards her and looked down at the picture plastered on the front. It was of her and Finn in the showroom, where she was trying her dress on. They were dancing together, and it pretty much looked like they were having the time of their lives. It really was a very good picture of them.

"Your my best friend, Rachel. I've got your back no matter what," Santana said.

Rachel grinned and gave her best friend a side hug. "Thanks, Tana."

"Also, it would be nice if I didn't have to keep doing press cover-ups for this sort of thing. I've been fielding calls all day."

* * *

**xiii.**

"Finny, I didn't know that you were dating someone!"

Finn sighed. "I'm not, Mom."

On the other end of the line, Carole Hummel laughed. "Finn Hudson, you can't lie to me. I've seen those magazines. You look so happy in all of those pictures."

"Mom, I'm not lying when I say that I'm not dating Rachel Berry." Finn ran a hand through his hair. "But I really want to."

"Good! So ask her out! I've heard a lot about Rachel from Kurt. She seems like such a sweet girl, Finny."

"She really is." Finn smiled at how they danced in the store only a week ago. They hadn't had a care in the world, and they were so happy. "Mom, I really like her."

"I can tell, Finny. I hope that I get a chance to meet her one day."

Finn smiled. "I hope you do, too."

* * *

**xiv.**

"I can't believe you dragged me to a football game."

Rachel just smiled pleasantly at Santana. "Kurt had a few extra tickets and wanted us to come with him. Mike and Tina were more than happy to be here." Mike was decked out in a Jets jersey, and he bought Tina a matching one. They had even brought Blaine with them (even though he liked football, it was mostly for Kurt's benefit).

"Of course Mike and Tina were excited. I think Mike was about to piss himself at the thought of being in this fancy, expensive box. And are you trying to start something by wearing that jersey?"

Rachel looked down at the Jets jersey she was wearing. It had the number five plastered on it, and Finn's last name was on the back. "What? He's the only football player on this team that I know. I wanted to support them."

"Yeah, whatever," Santana said with a snort. She turned to face the game when Kurt approached, followed by two blonde women and one person that was very familiar. Rachel let out a gasp.

"Oh my God, You're Mercedes Jones!" Rachel exclaimed.

The woman smiled at Rachel. "And you're Rachel Berry."

"I have all of your albums. And congratulations on winning that Grammy last year!" Rachel knew that she was sounding like such a fan girl right now, but she really looked up to Mercedes. Rachel felt as if they had a lot in common. They were both from small towns, and both of them wanted to make it big performing.

"My fiancé and I have seen _West Side Story_," Mercedes said. "It was a truly amazing show."

Rachel opened her mouth to respond, but Kurt cut her off. "Alright, that's enough ego-stroking for one night. Since it seems that you already know Mercedes, I'd also like to introduce you to Quinn Puckerman and her sister, Brittany. And this little girl is Quinn's daughter, Beth. Girls, this is Rachel Berry, Santana Lopez, Mike and Tina Chang, and Blaine Anderson." Once the introductions were done, Kurt immediately went to sit next to Blaine.

Santana's eyes zeroed in on Brittany. It was obvious that the blonde was checking her out, as well. "Hello, Brittany. What is it that you do for a living?"

"I'm a dancer," Brittany replied as she sat down. She patted the seat next to her, offering it to Santana.

"Oh. A dancer." Santana waggled her eyebrows and turned to Rachel before sitting down. "Thanks for making me come to this game, Berry. Greatest idea ever!"

Rachel laughed and took a seat next to Quinn. "So you're married to one of the football players, right?"

Quinn nodded her head. "Yes, Noah Puckerman. He's Finn's best friend, actually."

Rachel's eyes lit up at the mention of Finn, and her cheeks flushed. She thought that she wasn't being obvious about it, but she totally was. "Finn's best friend? Really?"

"He's Beth's godfather."

The little blonde girl clapped her hands together. "Unca' Finn!" she exclaimed. Then she pointed to the football field, where all the players had gathered. "Daddy!"

"That's right," Quinn said. She turned to Rachel. "So… you like Finn?"

Rachel's blush went darker. "Am I that obvious?"

Quinn chuckled. "You're wearing his jersey." She patted Rachel's hand. "I think that you would be really good for him."

"Really?" Rachel asked. It was nice to hear that Finn's closest friends thought that she would be good for him.

"You two look really happy in those pictures. You can't make it up."

* * *

**xv.**

After the game, Finn, Puck, and Sam came to join them in the box set aside for them. Puck went right for his family, and Sam went towards his fiancée. Finn greeted his brother (who was still engrossed with Blaine) before he turned towards Rachel.

"Thanks for coming to the game," he said. His eyes fell to the jersey she was wearing, and a smile spread across his lips. "I like your shirt."

"I thought I would represent my favorite player," Rachel said. "You played an amazing game tonight."

"Hell yeah!" Puck exclaimed. "We're going to the Super Bowl for sure! Hudson is going to lead us there, and Sam and I will back him up!"

"We still have some time to go before then," Finn said modestly.

Puck jabbed Finn in the chest before he lifted his daughter into his arms. "I'm not in the mood for your negativity, Hudson." He looked between his best friend and Rachel. "Are you two going out yet?"

Finn scowled at his teammate. "Puck."

"What? I was just asking what everyone else was thinking."

* * *

**xvi.**

Rachel grinned as she walked into the supermarket. The last time she was here, she had met Finn. Thankfully, there were no paparazzi around today, so she could shop in peace. There were still rumors going around that she was dating Finn, but it wasn't at the forefront anymore. She guessed that she had several big name celebrity divorces to thank for that.

She made her way over to the produce section. While she was browsing through some vegetables, she felt a familiar—and very unwanted—presence come up behind her. Rachel whipped around and came face to face with the last person that she wanted to see.

"Jesse. What are you doing here?"

Jesse leaned around her and grabbed a bag of baby carrots. "I'm here to shop, my little songbird. I believe that we're all allowed to do that from time to time."

"Stop calling me that," Rachel snapped.

"Oh, don't be like that, Rachel. I thought that we could at least be civil with each other. Especially since you're seeing that giant oaf."

Rachel glared at him and resisted from pushing him away. "Don't call him that! Finn is more of a man than you'll ever be."

"Yeah?" Jesse got right up in her face. "Well, something tells me that it won't be very long until he gets tired and annoyed with you. Just like I did."

With tears blurring her vision, Rachel pushed past Jesse and quickly made her way out of the supermarket. She tried to get down the street as fast as she possibly could, but someone caught her by the wrist. She knew that person's touch immediately, and this time, it was actually someone that she wanted to see.

"Hey, hey." Rachel turned to Finn looking down at her with wide, concerned eyes. "Rachel? What's wrong?"

Rachel sniffled and swiped her fingers under her eyes. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing." Finn's hand slid from her wrist down to her hand. He laced their fingers together and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Come on, Rach."

He hailed a taxi. Rachel followed him into the vehicle without a word. When she was settled next to him, Finn wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Rachel leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. With Finn, she felt completely safe.

* * *

**xvii.**

They arrived at Finn's apartment ten minutes later. Rachel was still quiet as Finn unlocked the door and led her inside. The apartment was spacious and nicely decorated, but it still had a very Finn-like quality to it. They sat on the couch together, and Finn rubbed his hand in comforting circles on Rachel's back.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Finn said gently.

Rachel sniffled again and bit her lip. "I ran into my ex-boyfriend," she said quietly.

Finn's gaze darkened, but his hands remained gentle on Rachel. "Jesse St. James."

"Yes." Rachel's brow furrowed in confusion. "How did you know?"

"I… uh… heard."

"Oh." Rachel really hoped that he hadn't heard everything, because that was just too embarrassing.

"What did he say to you, Rach? Just tell me, and I'll kick his ass."

Rachel cracked a small smile. "That won't be necessary, Finn. Thank you, though."

Finn returned her smile and ran his fingers through her hair. "Tell me, Rach. Let me know what he said to make you so upset."

Rachel shook her head and leaned into Finn's touch. "Honestly, it's not that important. He just didn't say some very nice things, that's all."

Finn continued to stroke his fingers through her hair and down her back in a soothing pattern. "Whatever he said wasn't true."

"You don't even know what he said."

"But I know that it wasn't true. He's a dick, Rachel."

"Language, Finn," Rachel scolded gently.

Finn chuckled and ran his hand from her hair to her cheek. He cupped her face and rubbed his thumb over her cheek gently. "I love that," he said.

Rachel's body heated up under his touch. "Love what?' she asked.

"That even though Jesse St. James is a bad guy, you still won't let me call him a bad name. You won't let me kick his ass, either. You blush every time you see me, and you wore my jersey to my football game. I love all of that."

"I love that you help your mom get things off of tall shelves. I love that you help me get things off of tall shelves. You're so charming and chivalrous and you care so much about your friends and family. And you danced with me even though you said that you hate dancing."

Finn brought his other hand up to cup her cheek as well. He leaned a little closer to her, but he didn't move in all the way. Rachel's heart swelled at the fact that he wasn't trying to push her. She brought her hands up to grip his shirt.

"You know," she murmured. "You can kiss me if you want to."

"I want to," Finn whispered.

His mouth came down over hers. His lips moved tenderly over hers, one of his hands sliding into her hair and gently cradling her head. His tongue gently swiped her bottom lip, and Rachel's lips opened under his.

Finn pulled back a little and touched his forehead to Rachel's. After another moment, Rachel gripped his shirt even more tightly and pulled him to her again. This kiss was deeper, and Rachel pressed herself closer to him.

When they broke apart again, Rachel beamed at him. "I think I'm going to have to wear your jersey more often."

* * *

**xviii.**

"I have something to tell you."

Santana didn't look up from her iPhone. "Yeah?"

"I'm dating Finn."

"And?"

Rachel gave her best friend an incredulous look. "Didn't you want me to tell you if I was?"

"I kind of figured that you were."

"_What?_"

Santana finally looked up at Rachel. "Honestly, Berry, I knew that it was only a matter of time before you started dating Sasquatch. I've had the press release all ready since the first picture came out. You just say when, and I'll call Schuester and we'll tell everyone."

"Santana—"

"Really, Berry. You should know by now that nothing you do will surprise me. You just let Finnegan know that if he tries to mess with you, I'll end his image and his face."

* * *

**xix.**

"I'm surprised we haven't seen any paparazzi out," Rachel murmured. She and Finn were walking through Little Italy. They had just had a very nice dinner at a small, secluded restaurant They were headed towards a dessert place that Finn knew.

"Don't jinx it, Rach," Finn said with a laugh.

"I wasn't trying to jinx it," Rachel said. "I was simply stating a fact."

"Yeah, yeah," Finn muttered with a smirk. "One of your more endearing qualities." Before Rachel could say anything, Finn had her pressed up against the wall of a building, hidden in the shadows. He ran his hands down her sides and settled them on her hips.

"Then again," he whispered as his lips ghosted over hers. "Everything about you is endearing."

He kissed her deeply, his tongue tangling with hers. Rachel slid her arms around Finn's neck, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Finn pressed his thigh between her legs as he trailed his kisses down her jaw and to her neck. His teeth nibbled at her pulse point, his hand gripping her hips tightly.

Finn kissed his way back up her neck and pressed his gently pressed his lips to hers. Rachel had a dazed look in her eyes when he pulled away. She took a few moments to catch her breath, and Finn smirked.

"What was that for?" she finally managed.

Finn shrugged his shoulders. "I just felt like kissing you. I can do that now, you know."

"You can do that whenever you want," Rachel said seriously.

Finn pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Taking her hand, they moved from the shadows and started walking down the street once again. "How does vegan chocolate cake sound?"

"It sounds perfect."

* * *

**xx.**

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Finn and Rachel looked up to see Santana and Will marching into Rachel's living room. They were currently curled up on the couch together, watching a movie that neither of them had really been paying attention to.

Rachel was unwilling to pull herself out of Finn's arms, so she just gave Santana a mildly amused look. "Santana," she greeted.

Santana jabbed a finger at her. "I told you that I had a press release ready, Rachel. A press release! And you had to go and do _this_?"

Santana threw down a magazine and pointed to the picture on the front cover for emphasis. Finn picked it up, and he and Rachel looked at it together. When he caught sight of the picture, Finn let out a low whistle.

It was one of Finn pressing Rachel against the wall as they kissed. It definitely looked as if they were enjoying themselves, to say the least. Rachel's cheeks flushed, but she and Finn both started laughing.

"I did tell you that Finn and I were dating," Rachel defended.

"And I told you," Finn said to Will. "So you really can't blame us."

"I have to do some major damage control," Santana said. "Do you know what they've been saying? They want to know why that T-Rex is eating the little Jewish girl!"

"Hey!" Finn exclaimed.

Santana ignored him and started cursing in Spanish. Will gave her a nervous look before he said, "What I think Santana is trying to say is that you could have let the world know about your relationship in a little bit more of a conventional way. That's all."

"I can't say that I was really expecting them to do this normally," Santana said once he had calmed down a little bit. "Nothing about them is normal. Just look at how tall Finnegan is."

* * *

**xxi.**

"We're a very photogenic couple, you know," Rachel observed as she clicked through some pictures on the internet.

"Of course we are," Finn said. "You're beautiful and sexy. And I'm pretty damn good looking, too. I wouldn't expect anything less."

Rachel laughed as Finn wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed several kisses to the curve of her neck, holding her tightly. Rachel tilted her head back, allowing him to have more access as a quiet moan escaped her lips.

"Kurt told me that he has your suit ready," Rachel finally said. "For the Tony Awards."

"Ah, yes. And he also picked out a tie to match your dress… or something. I kind of zoned out when he started talking about different fabric types."

Rachel laughed again, and then her phone buzzed. She checked the screen, and the normally happy look on her face darkened. She threw her phone on the bed and Finn glanced at the screen to see the name "Jesse" lighting it up. Something close to a growl escaped his throat.

"Rachel, that has to be the sixth time he's called you this week. What does he want?"

"I don't know," Rachel said. "And frankly, I don't really care."

"Rachel." Finn sat on the corner of the bed and patted the spot next to him. When she sat down, he pulled her into his arms. "Please tell me what he did."

Rachel sighed and rested her head against Finn's chest. She played with the fabric on his shirt before she finally said, "We dated two years ago. I was still getting smaller rolls on Broadway shows. He was already pretty famous then, so he was always getting pictures in the tabloids. He really liked it, I'm pretty sure. But it was because of him that I got my first taste of fame. I became known as the girl who was dating Jesse St. James. Our relationship was far from perfect, but I thought that we were pretty happy." She paused and swallowed hard. This was the hard part of the story.

Finn ran his fingers through her hair. His other hand rubbed at her back, slipping under her shirt to stroke at her bare skin. "And then what happened?" he prodded gently.

"And then I found a magazine." She laughed bitterly. "It's funny how my relationships seem to start and end with pictures. This one was of Jesse kissing another girl. A lot of other girls, actually."

Finn's fists tightened. "That son of a bitch."

"He cheated on me. He'd been cheating on me for months, and I didn't even know it. And I found out because of a picture in a magazine. After that, I was the girl that Jesse St. James cheated on. I was finally able to shed the image when I got the part in _West Side Story_. Thankfully, no one seems to remember what happened between Jesse and I."

Finn was quiet for a long moment as he tried to get a grip on his anger. He really wanted to bash Jesse's face in, but he had something more important to say. He suspected that he had known it for a very long time, but now… now was just the perfect time to say it.

"Wanna know something, Rach?" Finn murmured.

Rachel looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "What?"

"I love you."

"What?" she repeated.

"Rachel, I love you. I think I have from the moment I saw you trying to reach those chocolate chips."

Rachel stared at Finn for along moment before her face suddenly broke out into a grin. "I love you too, Finn. I'm pretty sure it was those dimples."

"Ha! I always knew that you loved my dimples!" He flashed her a smile and tackled her onto the bed, littering her face and neck with kisses.

* * *

**xxii.**

Rachel was wearing the jersey she had worn to her first Jets game. She was sitting with Kurt and Blaine (who had finally gotten together), Santana and Brittany (who were in a relationship but didn't put a label on it), Tina and Mike, and Quinn, Beth, and Mercedes. They were cheering on their guys in the fourth quarter of the game.

Tabloids loved taking pictures of Rachel at Finn's games. They especially loved it when Finn would turn and kiss his fingers, press them to his heart, and then hold them up to Rachel. It was something that he had started doing at the first game she had gone to when they had been officially dating. Rachel would do the same motion back. It was quickly becoming known as their good luck charm, since it seemed as if the Jets couldn't lose a game with Rachel there.

There were two minutes left in the game. The Jets were down by two, and they were close to getting the touchdown that they needed to win. Finn was amazing with his teammates. He was a strong, sure, and confident leader.

Finn got ready and made the calls. He stepped back and went to throw the ball… only to be tackled to the ground be large football player from the opposing team.

As she always did when Finn got tackled, Rachel's hands flew to her chest and she practically stopped breathing as she waited for the other football player to get off of Finn. He did, and Rachel waited for Finn to get up… but he didn't.

She shot to her feet as the crowd gasped. She didn't realize that she was yelling Finn's name until Kurt and Santana came up on either side of her, grabbing onto her hands. She caught a glimpse of Finn being put on a stretcher before they led her down to her car.

"They're taking him to the hospital," Quinn said as she loaded Beth up into her car seat. "We're going to meet them there."

* * *

**xxiii.**

"You must be Rachel Berry."

Rachel looked up to find a woman with a kind face looking down at her. She wiped at her tears and immediately recognized her from the pictures Finn had shown here. This was his mother.

Rachel stood up. "Mrs. Hummel."

"Oh, please." Carole engulfed the smaller woman in a hug. Rachel let out a grateful sigh and hugged her back. "Call me Carole." When Rachel pulled away, she asked, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay," Rachel admitted. "I mean, I know it's not anything life-threatening, but we haven't heard anything in a while and I'm just… scared."

"I don't blame you. Finn has ended up in the hospital more times than I care to count. Each time, I think I get more worried than the last."

Just then, a doctor came out from behind the double doors. "Finn Hudson?"

Burt Hummel, Finn's stepfather, caught the doctor's attention. "He has a hairline fracture to his ankle," the doctor explained. "He'll have to be on crutches for a little bit, but he might actually be okay to play by the end of the season. You can see him if you like. It has to be one person at a time, though."

"Why don't you go first, Rachel?" Carole suggested.

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked. "I would be fine waiting until you saw him." She wouldn't, but Carole had a right to see her son before she did.

Carole gave her a kind smile. "No, you wouldn't. Now go."

* * *

**xxiv.**

Rachel rapped her knuckles lightly against Finn's door. "Finn?"

Finn lifted his head to see Rachel at his door. A tired smile touched his lips. "It must be my birthday," he said. "Since you look pretty damn amazing in my jersey."

A laugh managed to escape Rachel's sore throat. She moved towards the bed and looked at Finn's left ankle, which was elevated. He sighed when he saw her looking at it.

"How does it feel?" Rachel asked.

"They have me pretty hopped up on pain meds, so it doesn't hurt too much," Finn admitted. "I just wish that…" He trailed off. "At least it won't take long to heal."

Rachel smoothed her hand over Finn's hair, combing her fingers gently through it. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. The kiss quickly escalated, and Rachel found herself curled up on the hospital bed with Finn.

"I really wish that I didn't have to hobble down the red carpet on crutches, though," Finn said. "I'm sorry that you'll have to take embarrassing pictures with me like that."

Rachel pulled back to look down at Finn, concern etched in her gaze. "Finn, I certainly don't expect you to come to the Tony's with me now. You have to work on recovering."

"Rach, baby, I'll be fine." Finn pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. "I told you that I wanted to go to the Tony's, so I'm going to the Tony's. I might look a little ridiculous in a tux with my crutches, but I think I'll be able to make the look work."

Rachel knew that there would be no fighting Finn on this. It was sweet that he was so intent on going to the award ceremony with her, and it made her love him that much more. "I don't know. Maybe we'll be able to get Kurt to match your crutches to your tux."

"That's not funny, Rachel," Finn said. He pouted and gave her that look that she was never able to resist. "If you loved me, you wouldn't set him loose on me. That's not nice."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Rachel gave Finn a quick kiss before she added in a conversational tone, "I met your mother, by the way."

Finn didn't seem very surprised by this information. He had known that his mother was going to show up as soon as she had heard that he had gotten injured. He really had suspected otherwise. "Yeah? Well, I bet she loved you."

Rachel smiled shyly. "I don't want to speak too soon, but I thought that she might like me."

"Of course she does." Finn pressed a kiss to her temple and pulled her close. "She's already told me that she liked you."

"How? She hasn't even met me before tonight."

"Rach, I talk about you all the time. She likes you because she knows you make me happy."

Rachel peered up at him. "I make you happy?" she asked quietly.

"So happy. Rachel, I love you. You're my everything, you know?"

"Oh, Finn." Rachel pressed her lips to his in a deep, passionate kiss. "I love you, too."

* * *

**xxv.**

"Baby, I knew that you could do it!"

Even though Finn was balancing on crutches, he still managed to pull Rachel into his arms. Her Tony Award pressed in between them as they kissed. Rachel couldn't keep the beaming grin off her face. She had just won her first Tony, she was there with Finn, and she kind of felt like a princess in her pretty dress. Life was fantastic.

"Do you want to head to the after party?" Finn asked. "I'm sure they would love to have you there."

Rachel trailed her hand down Finn's chest. "I was thinking that we could head back to your place and have our own after party." It wasn't her best line, but it certainly got her point across. Finn's eyes widened, and he nodded his head. Before they could leave, however, a very unwanted voice reached them.

"Well, my little songbird. I see that you're still slumming it."

Rachel whipped around to find Jesse standing behind her. Finn tensed up immediately, and Rachel put a soothing hand on his chest. She turned back towards Jesse and leveled him with a glare. "Don't start something right now, Jesse."

Jesse didn't heed her warning. "Those crutches look really nice with that tux, Hudson. I have to find the football player that did that to you and thank him."

"Jesse, don't," Rachel said again.

"I'm just going to walk away," Finn said. "Because this isn't worth it." He nudged Rachel along with his crutches. Just as they were about to leave, however, Jesse spoke again.

"Did you get bored with her yet, Hudson? Has she annoyed you enough? I gotta say, that's why I started seeing other girls on the side."

Before Finn even knew what he was doing, he had dropped one of his crutches and whipped around to face Jesse. His closed fist connected solidly with Jesse's nose, and the cartilage cracked underneath his knuckles.

Cameras immediately started flashing all around them.

* * *

**xxvi.**

"I'm sorry that I ruined your Tony's."

"Oh, Finn." Rachel climbed behind Finn on the bed and started kneading at his shoulders. "You didn't ruin my night. In fact, I think you made it better by punching Jesse."

Finn raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder at her. "I thought you didn't condone violence."

"I don't, normally. But I have to say… watching you punch Jesse? That was really hot."

"Really?" Before Rachel even knew what was happening, she was on her back and Finn was hovering over her. "How hot?"

"Finn, you're ankle!"

"It's fine." He started pressing kisses down her neck, gently nipping and sucking her skin. His hand slid up her thigh, and Rachel moaned. His other hand slid back around to the back of her dress, tugging on the zipper. Rachel quickly unbuttoned his shirt, smoothing her fingers over his muscles.

Finn sat back and easily tugged Rachel's dress off. She didn't have to wear a bra with it, and Finn let out a groan of appreciation as he started to kiss up her stomach. His tongue circled her bellybutton before he continued upwards. He traced the curve of one breast before his tongue closed around her right nipple. His hand plucked gently at her left one, and Rachel let out a breathy moan.

He pushed himself up, his fingers stroking between her legs as he kissed her deeply. Rachel could feel his hardness pressing into her stomach, and she rubbed herself against it and arched her hips into his hand. Rachel quickly unbuckled Finn's pants and pushed them down. He kicked them the rest of the way off before he peeled her underwear off. He pressed several kisses the inside of her thighs before Rachel was tugging him back up to her lips.

They found a condom, and Finn quickly rolled it on. He linked his fingers with Rachel's, kissing her as he slid into her. Rachel moaned loudly, her legs locking around his waist as he stretched her. She arched her back, pressing closer to him.

"Oh, God, Finn," she panted. "So good."

Finn slowly started moving his hips, pulling all the way out and then snapping his hips back in at an even pace. Rachel lifted her hips to meet his thrust for thrust, her fingers clutching at his shoulders. He groaned into her neck, his teeth biting gently down on her skin. He slid his hand between them, pressing against her nub in just the right way that she fell apart in his arms. A few thrusts later, he came, breathing hard.

Finn pulled her to his side, brushing soft, gentle kisses across her forehead. She snuggled closer to him, sighing in bliss. "I love you, Finn."

"I love you too, Rach," Finn murmured against her temple. "More than anything."

* * *

**xxvii.**

"You're not so bad, Finn Hudson."

Finn chuckled. "Thank you, Santana. I think."

"No, I mean it. You totally kicked St. Douchebag's ass. You broke his nose!"

Will groaned. "And you managed to make quite the scandal. I've already gotten a call from his lawyer."

"Don't worry," Santana said with a wave of her hand. "Jesse St. James is all bark and no bite. Besides, he deserved to be punched in the face. Wouldn't you say so, Rachel?"

"I have to agree with Santana on this one," Rachel said with a nod of her head. She kissed Finn's cheek and he smirked at her, still clearly pleased with his actions.

"So do I. Even so, the tabloids are all claiming that you, Finn, and Jesse are involved in some torrid love triangle," Will revealed. "There have already been several reports about it."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Where do they manage to come up with this stuff?"

"That's not all." Santana turned on the television and flipped through several entertainment channels. "A lot of the reports are saying that the two of you won't make it."

Rachel and Finn glanced at each other and then reached for the other's hand at the same time. They both grinned, each of them thinking the same thing. Finn was finally the one who spoke.

"I guess that we're just going to have to prove them wrong, then."

* * *

**xxviii.**

"You're going to love your daddy. He's really good at football, but he can't really dance. He loves to sing even though he says that he's not good at it. But I promise you, he really is. I love him so much. And I know that he's going to love you just as much as I do."

Finn felt tears burning in his eyes as he watched his wife talk to their newborn son. She looked up and saw him leaning against the door. She beamed at him, tilting the baby towards him.

"He's perfect," Rachel said as Fin walked over to them. Rachel scooted over and made as much room for him as she could on the hospital bed. He pulled Rachel into his arms and looked down at the two most important things in his life.

Finn traced his finger down the baby's soft cheek. He pushed Rachel's sweaty hair back from her forehead and dropped a kiss to it. "He really is." He moved his lips down to hers, kissing her gently. "You did so great, baby."

Rachel smiled at her husband and then looked down at their baby. He really was beautiful. He had Finn's eyes, and he already had a dusting of freckles across his nose. She could tell that little Christopher was going to be her Finn-clone.

"I love you so much, Rachel," Finn whispered. He pressed a gentle kiss to baby Chris's forehead. "And I love you too, little man."

The door swung open and Santana, Kurt, and Blaine walked in. Blaine was holding at least ten balloons, and Kurt already had a selection of clothes picked out. Santana, on the other hand had a camera.

"Okay, family portrait time! Everyone gather together and say cheese!"

Finn and Rachel did as Santana said, cuddling close together and holding Chris so he was visible. They looked so completely and utterly happily in the picture. Pictures had become so important in their lives, and this one was certainly at the top of their list.

"What a beautiful picture," Santana said. "Now… I think I'm going to run outside and see what magazine is going to pay the most for it."

"Santana!" Rachel really wished that she could get out of bed to chase after her. "Don't you dare try to exploit my son for your amusement!"

Santana already had left the room. Blaine gave her an amused look before he took Kurt's hand. "Don't worry," he assured Rachel. "We'll stop her."

Finn was still laughing as the couple left. Rachel glared at him. "It's not funny!"

"I'm not going to lie, Rach. I was kind of wondering how much the first picture would go for, too."

Rachel tried to keep a stern look on her face, but it quickly melted into a smile. "So was I," she admitted sheepishly.

Finn laughed again and pulled out his phone when it buzzed. Pulling it out, he saw that Santana had already sent him the picture. He showed it to Rachel, and she beamed before kissing him again. Their first picture as a family would go up next to the picture of when Rachel and Finn first met.

* * *

**Author's Note: I always like ending these with glimpses into the Finn and Rachel's future. I'm a sucker for happy endings. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!**


End file.
